


The Beginning

by softkaimin



Series: Stranded [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Is A Dick In the Beginning, But He Gets Better, Choose Your Own Adventure, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Fred Weasley Lives, Guilt, Heavy Angst, Merlin is an Angel as always, Morgana Needs a Hug, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26084221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softkaimin/pseuds/softkaimin
Summary: A prank pulled on you by the Weasley twins goes terribly wrong, accidentally sending you back in time to Camelot. Though you meet the great sorcerer Merlin, you find yourself stuck in Camelot during the reign of Uther Pendragon when magic was still forbidden. You do everything in your power to find a way back to home, back to the twins, but your success depends entirely on who is helping you complete your quest.This is a choose your own adventure series. You have the option to follow either Merlin, Arthur, or Morgana. The progression of the series will take different routes depending on who you choose.~This series was initially started on my Tumblr, however I disliked the way it written and ultimately lost inspiration in it. In order to salvage any remaining interest I had in this series, I decided to rewrite the entire series from the beginning, like an upgrade of sorts. This series will now be updated exclusively on AO3, however I will leave the original on my Tumblr. Please enjoy.
Relationships: Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)/Reader, Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)/You, Fred Weasley/George Weasley, Fred Weasley/Reader, Fred Weasley/You, George Weasley/Reader, George Weasley/You, Merlin (Merlin)/Reader, Merlin (Merlin)/You, Morgana (Merlin)/Reader, Morgana (Merlin)/You
Series: Stranded [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1893790
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	The Beginning

“We open in twenty minutes. All I ask is for a minute of your time so you can help me with a few orders while I finish tidying the shop.” You stood in the middle of the first floor, your balled fists digging into your sides while your displeased gaze watched as the twins completely ignored your concerns. You groaned, a dull ache trickling down your legs, signaling the beginning of what was going to be a long day of you running around. It was no use trying to convince them of anything, especially not when they were on the brink of a new prank product. 

“Watch. It’s going to be our bestseller ever.” Fred and George’s favorite phrase, though most of the time it was never wrong. It was kind of scary how often they topped their old records with their new products. Their minds were a mystery to you, and you couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of monstrosity they were working on now. 

You pulled your magenta robe off and set it behind the front counter, snatching the rolled stack of parchment paper from the cubby underneath. Luckily for you there were only two orders to be fulfilled this morning. “Thank Merlin,” you muttered, and without hesitation you grabbed a couple of boxes, immediately picking things off of shelves to place into the boxes. 

Though you had only been hired on to help with the inventory upkeep of the shop, from the very beginning you found yourself stuck with completing other tasks that weren’t part of your initial job description. You worked the cashier, customer service (for those few times that the dungbombs had been _too_ potent), and now you were fulfilling orders that the shop received by owl. You weren’t too enthusiastic about your ever-growing list of duties, but the fact that you could see the twins everyday was enough for you to push forward. 

It only took a few minutes to reach the end of both orders, and thankfully so, because you could already see a line of young witches and wizards forming outside of the shop. You reached across the WonderWitch display to grab the last of the items listed, the time turner you wore around your neck clanking against the pygmy puff cage. For a split second your vision became clouded by a memory of your parents, and you heart wavered. But as quick as the memory came it was gone, like a flash of light. You didn’t give it another thought, and quickly went back to work, adjusting the displaced potions on the display in front you one last time. “I don’t get paid enough for this,” you grunted. 

“You don’t get paid at all.” 

A startled shiver whizzed down your spine, and you instinctively clutched the box in your hands tightly. You spun on your heels, your wide-eyed gaze meeting the mischievous eyes of the twins. You relaxed your shoulders in relief, but your grip was still tight on the box. The puckish grins on their faces telling you they were up to no good. 

“Yeah, and remind me why I accepted that ridiculous offer in the first place?” 

“Because you’re our best friend and you love us?” George answered, his hands coming up to his chin to frame his face cutely. You sucked your teeth at the sight, playfully jeering at him. 

“And because we’re giving you a place to stay, free of charge,” Fred interjected, taking one of the two boxes from you into his hands. 

“Mmm… I don't know. I’m seriously reconsidering the fairness of our deal.”

“How about a chocolate frog for your troubles.” George held out a small pyramidal box in his palm, urging you to take it. 

“Please. I cannot be bought so easily,” you scoffed. 

“How about two?” Fred held out another in his hand, and you huffed. 

“Fine.” You snatched the chocolate frogs out of their hands and stuffed them into your pocket. “But this is the last time.” 

Fred and George cackled, and you had half a mind to berate them laughing at your serious warning. But before you could get another word out, they suddenly hid their hands behind their back. You were surprised at the sudden action, and you stood there dumbfounded for a minute. “What?” 

“Two things.” 

“One: we made something for you- well, it’s for all of us really, but we made it with you in mind.” George was the first to pull his hands from behind his back. He held his pointed index finger toward you, the digit adorned with a ring much too small to fit his entire finger. You took the piece of jewelry into your eager hand, amused by the shine of the brilliant luminescent finish. You could make out the engraved letters _F_ and _G_ on top of the gold metal, presumably for Fred and George. _Cute._ You slid it onto your finger, spinning the metal with your thumb until the engraving was perfectly centered. 

“It’s beautiful,” you remarked, not quite able to take your eyes off of it. 

“We’ve just one like it.” You looked up to find both Fred and George showing off their rings, and you were pleasantly surprised to find they were exact replicas of yours. “Mine has yours and George’s initial, and George’s has mine and yours.” 

“We made them because… well, you know we’re coming up on the anniversary of the war soon.” 

Your smile faltered a bit at the reminder, but you quickly gathered yourself and nodded, as though confirming that the anniversary was in fact soon. Fred and George watched your reaction for a second before continuing their explanation. 

“We know you lost a lot that day, and because of it we almost lost you too. We couldn’t go another day without knowing whether or not you would be ok every time you left the shop.”

“So we made these. We enchanted them so whenever we can’t see you we can still check in on you to make sure you’re safe. All we do is just say a spell and the rings will send a zap to the other wearer.” 

“Huh. So if I wanna know about you or George, I just say a spell and the rings will zap you?” You asked, already intrigued by the idea of electrocuting your best friends. “How powerful is this zap you speak of?”

“Tiny.”

“Don’t worry, we made sure to change the voltage before we gave it to you.” 

“Good lord,” you sighed. You couldn’t even begin to imagine what the ‘tiny zap’ was like before, but given that it was the Weasley Twins themselves, you wouldn’t put it past them to have been some absurd, borderline dangerous, voltage. “What about the spell?” 

Fred and George’s faces lit up at the question, and they both quickly held their hands close their lips. “Watch. _Exaudi_.” 

As the last utterance left Fred’s mouth, a small jolt shook your index finger where you placed your ring. It didn’t hurt nor sting, but it was enough to get your attention. You held up your hand in amazement, your feet almost running place as the excitement threatened to spill out in squeals. “This is bloody amazing!” 

“We’re glad you like it.”

“Yeah, the look on your face right now is worth the second degree burn.”

You paused, your giddy mood quickly replaced by a disapproving glare aimed at the two ginger-haired boys in front of you. “Wha-”

“Moving on,” Fred interrupted, and pulled his other hand from behind him. He held a tall glass jar that usually housed the tiny twisters sold at the shop, but the one in his hands was seemingly empty. “For the second part of our meeting: we made upgrades to one of our less popular items. We hope the improvements will send sales through the roof.” 

“What possible improvements could you have made? Will there be a tiny cow flying around the jar now?” You giggled at the thought, but neither Fred and George were amused. 

“This is why we don’t let you brainstorm ideas with us…”

You rolled your eyes, and motioned for them to continue. “Just show me. Quickly, we have five minutes before we have to open.” 

“Prepare to feast your eyes. We introduce the Gargantuan Twister!” 

“It’s like the tiny twister, except it’s bigger, better, and more _personal._ It comes out of the jar and can only be put back by the owner. Wanna see?”

You shook your head furiously, “Please don’t, I don’t want to have to clean up a giant mess.”

“Do not fret. The twister only affects the victim of the prank.” With that Fred popped the lid of the jar open, releasing the fast spinning cyclone into the already crowded shop. The twister immediately encased you in a whirlwind, your shirt billowing and lifting with the strong current. For a bit it seemed quite fun, and from what you could see, it actually did no damage to your surroundings. _Those clever minds_. However, you soon found it was getting a bit hard to breathe which signaled to you it was probably a good time to end this so-called prank. 

“Ok. Ok! Fred, call your twister back now!” You held your hand in front of your face in an attempt to block the wind from stealing any more of your oxygen. As you looked down to further protect your eyes, you noticed your time turner spinning uncontrollably fast. “Oh, fuck.” You clutched it in your fist to stop it turning, which you would later find to have been a grave mistake. 

The twister did stop, thankfully, but now you found yourself falling. Your skin was cold and you hung onto the box in your hands for dear life, the only thing on your mind were your pleading prayers. 

Your landing was rough, but from what you could tell nothing was broken… at least on you. The remnants of what used to be a wooden table was scattered in pieces underneath you, tiny splinters taking refuge in the skin of your palms. You groaned, wiping your hands on your dusty pants as you finally stood on your feet. “Fuck,” you muttered. You pushed the cardboard box that you had been carrying out of the way of the mess, and pulled your wand out the sleeve of your shirt. “I should fix this before someone shows up. _Reparo_.” You stood by, proudly watching as your seven excruciatingly long years as a Hogwarts student was finally paying off. After a few seconds, the table was as good as new, like your brutal crash landing had never happened. 

“Are you out of your mind?” The question was rather vicious, and you swiftly spun on your feet in search of where the brute voice had come from. Your eyes landed on two men, one a tall and muscular blond who clutched his sword just as tightly as you held your wand, and the other behind him, a tall but lanky brunet. “Not only have you broken into my chambers, but you had the audacity to use magic in front of the Prince of Camelot?” 

“Prince of Camelot?” 

The perplexed look that the two shared told you that you had asked a dumb question, but in your defense you had no idea where the hell you were. 

“Are you sick or something?” The blonde asked, quite mockingly. He held onto his sword as he moved toward you cautiously. 

“No. Just lost… Did you say Camelot? Did I hear that right?” 

The lanky one moved alongside the blonde, though a few steps behind him, but he seemed to be the less frightened of the two. “Yes, and you are in the Prince’s chambers. Prince Arthur.” You were silent, your mind trying to decide whether _this_ was just another prank that the twins had set up for you or if you actually were indeed in Camelot. You hoped for the former. 

“You’ve magic?” The lanky one finally asked, the question dragging you out of the depths of your mind. 

You nodded, “Yes. Haven't you?” He shook his head furiously at you, and you raised your eyebrow at his answer. “I see… why not?”

The blond scoffed at your question, almost as though he was offended by it. “Magic is forbidden in Camelot. Using it so openly as you just did would warrant a death sentence. I should arrest you right now.” 

You scrunched your nose, shutting your eyes tightly as his words went in one ear and out the other. Nothing he said just now processed in your mind, and you could feel the beginning of a panic attack begin to take root in the pit of your stomach. _This can’t be happening. Please, God, let this be a stupid prank. Please. Please._

“Sire, I think perhaps we should just let her off with a warning. She doesn't look like the dangerous kind.”

“Merlin, are you out of your mind? Do you even know what a dangerous sorceress looks like?”

_Merlin?_ Your gaze was suddenly focused and piercing as you watched the lanky man that had been revealed as Merlin. He looked nothing like the depictions of what your textbooks told you the great sorcerer Merlin looked like, this Merlin was much younger and much more handsome. You felt the panic in your stomach subside a bit as you concluded that perhaps not all was lost, that even if it turned out this wasn’t a famous Weasley prank, you could still find a way home with the help of Merlin. 

“It’s an honour to meet you great sorcerer. You are quite the legend. Your influence ceases to shape the future of wizardry-”

“Stop!” Prince Arthur demanded, his stiff outstretched hand physically forcing you to stop talking. “Merlin is my manservant, he has no magic.” 

Your mouth parted slightly in surprise, and you quickly looked to Merlin for confirmation, and when he nodded, you felt every hope escape from your being. Your legs gave out first, sending you to your knees roughly. Merlin rushed to catch you, but Arthur’s armour-clad arm held him back; not that you would’ve noticed anyways. Your chest was heavy with dread and the terror in the pit of your stomach grew at an exponential rate, forcing any breath in your lungs out. 

“Please, calm yourself.” Arthur’s words were curt, useless to someone in your position. Merlin, seeing the state you were in, tapped on his arm to call his attention. He pointed at you with his nose, inching closer to you. “Allow me, Sire.” 

Arthur hesitated, refusing to put any of his people in danger, but his manservant’s persistence was damning. “Careful,” he warned him.

Merlin knelt beside you, taking your shaking hand into his steady one as he helped you to your feet. “Can you stand?” He asked, slowly letting go of you until he was certain you weren’t going to collapse again. Before you could answer, the loud creak of the bedroom door opening caught the attention of the three of you, and Arthur immediately returned his sword to his sheath. Though he was not happy about you being here, he would rather avoid having to deal with another public execution so soon after the last one.

“Arthur, I heard a loud crash come from your chambers. I got worried and I came as quickly as I can- oh,” the sight of you stopped Morgana in her tracks, and she eyed you up and down. “Who’s this?” The startled looks on Merlin and Arthur’s faces told Morgana they were up to no good, and whatever tomfoolery they were up to included you. 

“Mm… she’s… she’s my friend?” Merlin tried. 

“Your friend? And since when does Arthur allow you to bring your friends to his chambers?” Morgana questioned, clearly snaring Merlin in a trap. His silence was deafening, and Morgana scoffed, silently applauding her keenness. 

Arthur glared at Merlin, deciding to take the reins of the situation into his own hands. “It doesn't matter who she is. She will be gone by tonight, but she must stay here until nightfall. Consider me your guard until then.” 

“Prisoner guard,” you retorted, earning yourself scowl. 

“You cannot possibly think she is going to stay here with you, you are a man. Besides, look at her, she is bleeding and those clothes are unsightly. Come with me, you’ll be much more comfortable in my chambers and I’ll get you a change of clothes,” Morgana offered. You were almost inclined to take the offer immediately, but you had this nagging feeling in your chest about her. 

“Perhaps she should see the court physician first. Gaius can take care of those cuts and bruises,” he told you, a hopeful glint in his eyes. 

You stood in the middle of Arthur’s chambers, quiet and unmoving. Your thoughts were leaving you, fading into the background, into nothingness. It’s not that you didn’t know who you wanted to go with, you knew, you were just frozen at the possibility of never hearing from the twins again. They were everything to you, your only reason to live after you had lost everything, or rather everyone, in the Wizarding War. 

You struggled against the frozen terror that clutched your wrists, but you managed to lift your trembling hand to your lips. “ _Exaudi_ ,” you whispered, and not a second later the skin underneath your gold ring jolted in response. You clutched your hand to your chest, happy yet sorrowful tears rolling down your warm cheeks. The answer was clear. You needed to make it back to the twins, no matter what it took. The only issue was figuring out who would be able to help you in your quest. As the three unfamiliar people stood in front of you, waiting for you to voice your decision, you had an obvious image in your mind. Though, you hoped your foresight was as sharp as your misfortune.


End file.
